Mine
by justsomeone2010
Summary: Loki is defeated, the Bifrost destroyed and Thor is stranded in Asgard. But then Thor finds a young mortal woman has been stranded also. Reminding him of Jane and the world he so desperately wants to return to, Thor battles with his feelings for Catherine while she tries to start a new life in a strange new world that she'd unexpectedly crossed paths with before.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Pain… that was all Catherine could think of. Burning, pain, dizzying bright lights. Was this what her instincts were telling her it was?

Her head rolled dizzyingly against the rock hard surface beneath the back of her skull, as she felt for the rest of her body. Her back was splayed against the floor, twisting at the waist so one leg folded over the other, both flexed loosely at the knees. One arm was out straight, the other cradled over her slim chest.

And by God, everything hurt.

Her mouth cracked open and her eyes widened even more when no sound would come out. All she could manage before she needed to draw in breath was a squeak.

_What the hell happened to me?_, she screamed fearfully in her head. One moment she'd been home, sat outside her own doorstep, feeling the rain was over her face, masking her tears… now she was here. Here wasn't dark. Here wasn't wet. Here wasn't quiet.

It sounded like the world was exploding around her. She did the only thing she could do – breath. She gasped in lungful after lungful of air, inwardly screaming at the ache in her chest as she did so. But there was nothing else she could do.

She focused her eyes – and stopped breathing altogether at what she saw. The sky… that wasn't her sky! There were too many stars, to many stars shining too brightly to be the same constellations she watched night after night back in Somerset. They gleamed out from the darkest navy blue sky she'd ever seen. _Beautiful_, she thought, eyes glistening, _beautiful…_

Catherine wasn't sure if it was the hardness beneath her, or the dizziness from the sky above, but gravity seemed stronger. She couldn't even imagine summoning the strength to peel herself upright. It was too strong. She just lay there, feeling numb as gravity itself seemed to crush the life from her frail body.

Her eyes drifted shut…

_"NO!"_

Catherine jolted back to life, chest lifting upwards from the force of her inhale, the roar ringing in her ears. Her eyes rolled open wider than before.

_That scream_, she gasped in her head, _who? Who was it? _It rung in her ears, mixing with another from her memory, both filled with such pain and anguish that she struggled to tell them apart.

She groaned, feeling the thin amount of air that had been clinging to her lungs leave her at last.

_I must be dead_, she reasoned dimly, eyes still stuck wide open even though she was sure she would pass out at any moment. _Dead, or dreaming. I have to be. I have to be, surely. _

Suddenly, she longed for the pain. Not the crushing that seemed to pulverise her body where she lay, but the _real_ pain. The stinging pain of bleeding, of torn flesh, of damaged body parts beneath her thin layer of skin. The pain of home. At least she understood that. She was always calm, because she knew what was happening to her.

She didn't understand this. What was this? Why? How? She couldn't even cry she was so numb. All she could do was stare; stare and wait.

And _listen._

"Thor."

Catherine was too far gone to react. Too far gone to even care. She listened to the aged, withered voice, cracking slightly with emotion, as if it were from a film or story or something in her head, rather than something she was really hearing.

A new voice joined the old one: "Impossible."

_I know_, she agreed in her head, almost sarcastically. She didn't believe it – whatever 'it' even was – either.

The ground trembled beneath her as footsteps echoed in her head. She lolled her head to the side, so her ear was closer to the surface beneath her. Running. Whoever was there, they were running. She half wanted it to stop, feeling her body ache even more from the strain of the vibrations, but she knew she couldn't change it if she wanted to. Her eyes simply widened more, the only expression of pain she could muster.

Moments later, mercifully, everything stilled.

"She is mortal." The old voice breathed.

"How did she get here?" the second voice growled deeply. "She was not near the Bifrost site when I left."

"She is not one of your mortal companions?"

Catherine stared ahead blankly at the stars to her right as the voices talked over her, the younger one more rugged and tense than the other. Almost angry. She could feel it's raw, rumbling power tremble in the air.

"No…" he went on in almost a snarl. "She is not Jane."

Catherine could feel her heartbeat pick up a few paces. Maybe this wasn't a dream after all…

Warmth cupped her cheek and gently angled her head back to centre.

"What's wrong with her? Her eyes…" Catherine was still as ever as fingers brushed her stray strands of hair from her face, sweeping her forehead and eyes clear of obstruction.

"She's in shock."

Shock… was that what this was? Her mind buzzed with the idea. Shock of what though? What had happened to her?

Her eyes focused back on the glorious stars above. Then as the hand gentle cupped her cheek to steady her head, the sky was cut from her view.

Now only two stars stared down at her. Two bright, shimmering blue stars, holding all the strength and gentleness all in one that only a god could. Catherine drew a ragged breath into her body at last, still feeling numb, but not for one moment taking her eyes off of those that hovered above her.

"What's your name?" his voice was soft now, softer than velvet.

Catherine could feel her chest slightly rise and fall with light breaths she hadn't realised she'd been taking. "Catherine." She sighed, feeling the dizziness haze back. "Catherine Yale."

XXX

When brightness overwhelmed her as she blinked her eyes open, Catherine thought she must surely be dead. _I have to be_, she reasoned in her mind, bringing a heavy hand to her forehead, _people don't get hit by that sort of lightning and get through it._

She could remember it. She'd been crying on the doorstep, watching the lightning crack over the black sky above… and she'd stepped out into it. Eyes blurred with tears, shed stumbled from her doorstep, into the field, feeling her vulnerability against the force of nature, and then…she got hit. Her eyes had caught the flash above milliseconds before her body seemed to explode, her vision splashes of blinding white, everything burning, hurting…

_I'm dead_, she concluded finally in her head, running her hand back to her soft waves of blonde hair.

She breathed a sigh of relief at having come to a stable conclusion to the madness, her fingers twirling with the strands of strangly neat hair splayed out around her head. Everything was so soft. Her hair, the surface beneath her body. Such a nice contrast to -

Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she jolted upright.

Getting struck by lightning wasn't the last thing that had happened to her. She rolled her head back as the memories flooded back: the pain, the stars, the sky, the scream, the voice ... she could remember the voice well, the last thing she'd heard before she'd passed out. It had urged her not to worry, as the strong arms peeled her completely from the ground. Then she'd fainted.

Her heart pounded in her chest. Who were those men? Where had they taken her? Above, Catherine's eyes drank in creamy stone, the edges dressed in gold cloth. It was like something out of a fairy-tale.

_Heaven?,_ she wondered hopefully.

She lowered her gaze from the ceiling and drank in the rest of the vast room: ivory stone walls with gold drapes, two doors, one directly ahead and one to the right, and a bed - which she lay in. Catherine felt her body peel tentatively back against the head board, her clenching hand loosely pulling her silk covers with her. Where was she?

Suddenly, she yanked the sheets up and her heart froze. She wasn't wearing her muddy shorts and shirt that she'd been in before. Instead she was dressed in a pure white, silky nightdress that clung to her chest and flowed freely down to her thighs. Exquisite as it was - and it _really_ was - Catherine was laden with panic. Someone had _changed_ her. She pulled the sheets up further till they were brushing beneath her chin, feeling as good as naked in the foreign garments.

Her eyes were wide as she tried to think, but everything was blurred and muddled. Where was she? Who changed her? Why the hell wasn't she dead?

Her body stilled as the door ahead began to heave open.

"You're awake."

Catherine pressed her back harder against the headboard as the tallest, strongest looking man she'd ever seen strode in, a red cape billowing from his broad shoulders. Her eyes were like marbles as he made a bee line for her.

"Miss Catherine." his voice was hard, but unmistakable - he was the man who'd talked to her before she'd passed out. He was _the voice. _Catherine's breath hitched in her throat as his lengthy strides brought him to the bedside in seconds, his tall form looming over her menacingly. She arched away from him as subtly as she dared, eyes scouring over his armoured body with growing fear, especially when they found the colossal hammer he held casually in his hand.

Feeling her hands begin to tremble, Catherine glanced up to his face and his strained blue eyes. Her mouth opened, meaning to ask all the questions bubbling up in her head, but all that came out was a pitiful squeak.

She felt like she was going to be sick.

"You have nothing to fear here. We will take care of you, I promise."

Catherine rolled her body forward and braced her palms against the bed's mattress. With nothing but peaceful, silky white filling her gaze, she could feel her violent panic steady. "Where am I?" she finally croaked.

"Asgard. A different world to the realm you hail from."

"How did I get here? What happened?" Catherine ran her fingers through her hair and brought her head to her knees.

"We were hoping you could tell us...are you alright?"

_No_, Catherine answered in her head. She felt awful. Her chest was tight as she fought manically for breath, hugging her knees closer with clawing hands. More high pitched squeaks left her as her voice failed her. She angled her head lower, hiding the tears that slid sneakily down her cheeks.

Thankfully, the stranger didn't need any further explanation. Catherine didn't see him lean forward and pick her up, but that's what she assumed happened as hands held up her back and under her knees, holding her to his hard chest. Her wide, crying eyes were stuck, staring at her hand loosely curled against the hard breast plate of his armour. Wind seemed to whip around her as the strange man whisked her away from the main room, through two patio doors behind the bed Catherine hadn't noticed before.

Her lungs heaved a greedy breath however, as she tasted fresh air. "I'm g-gonna be sick." she choked, hand clamping over her mouth.

Catherine folded over horizontally as she was set down on a miniature couch, trying to hold back the vomit fighting its way up her throat. The bucket appeared just as she lost.

Catherine gave way to the shudders and convulsions her body made, going limp as her body emptied itself. Her hands flew back instinctively to hold back her hair but twitched when her fingers brushed warmth, and realised someone was already doing it for her. Her mind to was too numb to care, simply curling her hands to her aching chest instead.

It felt like a lifetime before it ended. When she finally lay her head down and breathed, the bucket was whisked from beneath her, her hair falling around her like a dreamy curtain. Her eyes fluttered and for a moment she thought about going to sleep again. Then heavy footfalls confirmed the stranger was back and she peeled her blonde strands back behind her ears, her glistening green eyes peeking out cautiously.

It was impossible for her to miss him; he was crouched down face to face with her, one hand on the arm of the couch, another hovering over her head as if preparing to hold back her hair again. His bright blue eyes gleamed, softening his tense face considerably. He looked nowhere near as scary as he did before!

"Who are you?" spilled from Catherine's gasping lips.

The stranger's lips hesitated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"You were found in our realm in the aftermath of the battle, on the Bifrost." the warrior explained to her, sat beside her on the miniature sofa, his elbows leaning on his knees. His gaze was trained forward and there was a heaviness to his tone that made Catherine hold her breath. "When we found you..." a small smile crossed his lips. "We half thought we'd affirmed a bridge with Earth rather than destroy it. It's not possible for mortals to travel through the Bifrost, much less to do so from their planet, unaided. But somehow you did."

Catherine watched as the smile slipped from his lips and he turned to her at last. "How?"

"I was hit by lightning." she said with a feeble shrug. "That's all I remember from back home. Then I woke up here and you found me ..." her eyes blinked apologetically at his, "That's all I know."

The warrior hung his head forward again, not even bothering to mask his disappointment.

Catherine, however, turned ahead hopefully. She slipped from the sofa, her legs carrying her body forward dreamily. "So this is Asgard?"

She wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement, nor to herself or to the warrior but it didn't seem to matter as she stared over the balcony rail at the strange kingdom. It was like nothing she'd ever seen! The grass seemed to be the brightest of greens, the waters the clearest of blues, and the buildings... oh, the buildings! They stood in shimmering gold, in shapes so delicate yet powerful at the same time Catherine could only look on with awe. It was like nothing Earth could ever master.

It was either a different realm or Heaven itself, and neither were the world she knew. She had no reason not to believe what she was told. And why would she want to, if this was what lay here?

"Asgard is my father's kingdom." Catherine hadn't noticed the warrior join her at the balcony ledge. "He has kept it safe for many years."

"Your father..." Catherine's mind cast back. "Was he the man with you when you found me? There were two of you."

A small sad smile graced the warriors face again. "Yes, it was. He is Odin All Father, king of Asgard. It is only because of him that I am standing here today."

His voice was thick and tense - enough to warn Catherine that it was territory best left untouched. _Avoid mentioning the father_, she noted mentally. In the silence she could hear her heart pounding nervously. Her mind scoured desperately for something neutral to talk about. "H-how long was I out for?" she finally forced out.

"A few days." The warrior sighed, though his voice picked up from the defeated tone it carried before. "Your injuries have healed but your body will still be weak. I was advised it would be best if you rested tomorrow as well."

Catherine groaned before she could stop herself.

She earned a grin from the giant, his bright blue eyes sparling in her direction. "You are displeased?"

Catherine pressed her lips together, trying - and failing - to repress a smile. "I don't like staying still. Having to stay in bed is like torture for me."

"You are not restricted to the bed, Miss Catherine. You can come out here, on the balcony if you want to."

Catherine cocked her head as she considered it. "It's not that though. I want to move, to walk. I just want to _do_ something - anything. I can't just... sit here!"

The warrior chuckled. "You have no choice. I will make sure you stay here."

"You're guarding me?"

"I think it more keeping you company."

Catherine rolled her eyes and grinned - really grinned. "This isn't fair." she groaned, lolling her head back. When she pulled it up, her eyes lingered over the world beyond the balcony, now glazed in bright yellows and oranges as the sun lowered on the horizon. Her grin tripped slightly. "I don't get it. This should be Heaven..."

She'd always been ready. No guilt in life, no fear in death. She'd always been prepared for Heaven if something happened. It was all that kept her from going mad, knowing that no matter what happened in life, the moment it ended she'd go to Heaven, where there was peace and happiness. It was just what was supposed to happen. She wasn't quite sure what to do now that that single reassurance she'd clung to had been disintegrated. What would she do now?

"What's Heaven?"

The warrior's question yanked Catherine back to the balcony and she snapped her gaze to his. _Different world_, she remembered. She searched for how to explain it. "It's a place that people go to when they die. At least that's what my family believe." She turned her gaze outward again. "I thought I'd go to Heaven when I died."

_Guess not,_ she added in her head.

"But you are not dead."

That caught her attention alright! Catherine snapped her head back to the warrior so fast her neck clicked, and her hand flew to it instantly. "Ow." She staggered back from the edge of the balcony - noting just how weak her body was as she stood unaided for the first time. Still, she stared at the warrior. He frowned at her with a look of such bemusement, it would have been adorable if he wasn't, well, so physically intimidating! "I'm not?" She gasped. "B-but that's not possible - I got hit by lightning, for goodness sake! H-how-"

Her weakness finally showed: her knees gave way beneath her and she crumpled, saved from the hard marble floor by the warriors lunge. For the second time, he scooped her up and brought her to the couch.

Catherine found the breath catching in her throat. She was so confused! First she thought she was dead and everything she thought she knew was wrong. Now... now what? Now she was alive and there was a new reality she had to accept. Her hands clamped down either side of her head and she doubled over - narrowly avoiding head-butting the warrior who once again knelt in front of her.

His hand brushed back strands of hair from the side of Catherine's face and held to the side of her head over her hand. "The lightning storm was the Bifrost's connection to your world. If you got hit, that was probably what pulled you through onto the bridge."

_Breathe_, a voice in Catherine's head urged. _Breathe! "_Bridge?" she gulped, fighting against the threatening hysteria. "Then can I get back? A bridge can be crossed either way right?"

The saddened look in the warrior's eyes gave her her answer. His hand stiffened in her hair and she could see the despair in her gaze mirrored in his.

"The Bifrost is broken. All links with outside realms have been severed." he revealed gently.

Catherine ignored the crack in his voice. She was too far lost in her own manic thoughts to notice. "What happened? I didn't break it did I?"

"No," his gaze narrowed and darted to the side. "I did."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_I'd passed out again_, was Catherine's first conscious thought as she blinked herself awake.

She propped herself up on her elbows - happy to find them stronger than they were before - and found herself back on the bed inside the room. _Damn_, she thought, remembering; she was stuck in bed today. Releasing a groan of frustration, she flopped back on the bed and threw her arms over her eyes.

"This is really going to suck."

She hadn't been lying there for more than a minute, before she realised just how cold it was, and curled up back underneath the sheets. _It wasn't this cold earlier was it?,_ she wondered.

No, it hadn't: she remembered sitting out on the balcony wearing just this skimpy nightdress thing and not feeling the slightest bit cold. The sun had been shining in the sky, it had been a glorious day... _did it rain or something? _Catherine sat upright and swivelled round, glancing out the glass paned double doors to the balcony she knew to be just beside the head of the bed. She found her answer immediately, watching the black darkness of the sky high up slowly warm with oranges and yellows as the sun crept up from the horizon.

Catherine watched entranced, until the bright yellow ball was hanging just above the edge of the world. "And ere the sun rises..."

Feeling the daylight warm up the air, Catherine threw the sheets back to go to the balcony. He had said she could go to the balcony, right? And there was no way she was staying in here!

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and slowly lowered her weight onto her feet. She smiled when nothing hurt. Satisfied, she stood up - and her knees gave out instantly.

She saw the cold marble floor coming towards her fast, just milliseconds before a pressure crushed around her waist and she gasped for breath. Her body froze, staring at the mercilessly hard floor beneath her and she seemed to ... hover above it. Why wasn't she falling?

"I thought I said you needed rest."

_Ah_, Catherine thought, fitting the pieces of the puzzle together. Sure enough, when she glanced down, it was the warriors thick armoured around wrapped tightly around her waist, saving her from her plummet. His other hand closed on her back, supporting her as he righted her back on the bed. Catherine locked her knees together self-consciously, as the giant crouched down before her.

"Are you hurt?"

"No." she didn't dare look him in the eye, her gaze locked firmly on the lacy hem of her nightdress.

"I thought I told you to rest today."

Catherine gulped. "I didn't think I'd be that bad..." She hadn't. She honestly hadn't. I mean she'd been able to stand up unaided yesterday hadn't she? Albeit, she passed out straight after but she'd done it at least. Surely after a night of sleep she'd be stronger, not weaker?

She could feel his bright blue eyes watching her, as if he could read every one of her thoughts. Maybe he could, she thought with panic, this place evidently wasn't normal so what should make the people any different.

Finally, he rose and strode lazy to the foot of the bed, where on the floor was a gold plate of food. He picked it up and held it out to her. "Here. I brought you some food." he said in a somewhat flat voice. "You haven't eaten in quite some time. You need sustenance."

Catherine took it with trembling hands and hurriedly set it down on the bed. She looked down at the meal. It was simple food: bread, cheese and a couple of slices of meat.

The very thought of eating made her stomach churn. "Could I not just have some water?"

She just about caught the warrior's quiet chuckle. "You must eat all the food. Your body will not get stronger if you starve it of nutrients."

Catherine was still staring glumly at the food, when the heavy footsteps of the warrior distracted her and she glanced up to see him disappear out the balcony door, leaving it open. The warmth flooded in instantly, tingling at Catherine's skin nicely. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, loving the feeling of soaking up the sun after such chills earlier.

The returning thuds snapped her back, just in time to see the warrior step back inside with a jug of water and the biggest mug Catherine had ever seen.

"Jiminy Cricket..." she gaped. The warrior grinned at her as he filled it with water. "Are you sure I can even hold that?"

A small chuckle left him as he righted the jug and held out the flagon. "Now's the time to find out."

The answer was no.

The moment the warrior released the flagon, surrendering it to Catherine's puny strength it plummeted downwards and would have spoiled the bed sheets were it not for his quick reactions. He saved it with a sweeping hand, spilling only a handful of drops over Catherine's legs. Catherine glared at the floor, cursing her weakness. _Great,_ she thought bitterly, _can't even drink by myself anymore._ Instead she had to endure the painful embarrassment of the warrior holding the mug to her mouth, supporting it as if it weighed nothing, and gently tipping the liquid down Catherine's throat.

She smacked her lips together as she pushed the mug away. "That is_ so_ not tap water."

"What?"

Catherine glanced up into the giants frowning eyes, and decided it wasn't worth explaining. "Never mind. You still haven't told me your name, you know..." her fingers picked awkwardly at the mug on the bed.

She felt the bed shift as he sat down beside her and pushed the plate forward. "You still haven't eaten anything." Suddenly, he scoffed bitterly and averted his eyes angrily to the wall. Catherine shrunk away from, it sensing the damage that anger and power could cause. "What is it with mortal women and eating?" he muttered.

A blush crossed Catherine's cheeks and she glanced downwards shamefully. "I'm not like that. I just wanted to know... I'm sorry."

She reached forward and ripped off a small piece of bread from the loaf and popping it in her mouth, crewing numbly. Suddenly, she wished No-Name would just leave her alone, that he would just go.

_What was his problem?,_ she wondered dismally, _what did I do to him? It's like he hates me sometimes..._

_But not all the time, _a voice in her head reminded.

True. She remembered yesterday. When he'd told her he'd take care of her. When he'd told her everything she wanted to know about what had happened to her. When he'd held her hair back when she was sick... then there were those brief moments when he acted so cold. As if he hated her for reasons she didn't understand.

"What were you saying earlier?" he asked quietly. "When I first came in?"

"What I said?" Catherine strained her mind to remember. "Oh, that." It sunk in. "Ere the sun rises. It's a line from a story I know. Lord of the Rings. It's one of my favourites."

"Maybe you could tell it to me one day?"

Tentatively, Catherine lifted her gaze up, surprised to find the warrior already looking at her. "How about I tell you the story, and you tell me your name? Sounds like a fair bargain to me."

His bright blue eyes glistened, but were unreadable. _What was he thinking?_, Catherine wondered nervously. Was he mad at her? Angry? Finally, much to her relief, a grin slowly stretched across his face. "How about," he tore off another hunk of bread and handed it across to her, "I tell you my name, and you eat and tell me the story?"

Catherine smiled. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. "Deal."

And that was all it took.

The warrior jerked up from the bed and stormed out onto the balcony without another word. But not before Catherine saw his face; the way his features dropped, the way the colour drained instantly till his skin was chalk white...

Then Catherine was all alone.

XXX

Catherine hugged her knees to her chest through the bed sheets, her eyes staring out from the couch, through the balcony rails at the city beyond. She was in no mood to admire though; her gaze was dim.

What was wrong with her?, she wondered glumly in her head. What was it about her that that guy couldn't stand? Hurt and rejection flowed through her more than she knew she should allow for a guy that wouldn't even tell her his name. But she couldn't stop it. He was all that had kept her sane since she'd woken up here, with his understanding nature and caring actions - until he tensed and walked out on her that was.

Now she was alone, and the full weight of the situation ground into her mercilessly. She was stranded in a new world, with different people, different customs, different buildings, different technologies, different clothes (not that she had much experience with that herself since no one had been to bring her anything to wear as an alternative to her nightdress). She wanted her jeans - muddy and ruined as she knew them to be - she wanted her phone, she wanted her favourite teddy bear, she wanted to see her bedroom again... she wanted her mother.

Catherine's eyes lowered to her kneecaps.

"They're taking the hobbits to Isengard." She mumbled dully to herself, remembering the remix song of that one line in the movie. God - what she'd give to see that movie again! "They're taking the hobbits to Isengard, they're taking the hobbits to Isengard, they're taking the hobbits to Isengard-gard-gard-gard..."

Finally, her forehead thudded into her legs and she let out a groan.

"Do you need the bucket again?"

Catherine's head shot up in a heartbeat, so fast the world span and she had to touch her hand to the space on the couch beside her to steady it. The second everything stilled, her gaze shot over her shoulder in alarm.

The warrior stood in the doorway - not her doorway, the one on the other side of the couch - his eyes still slightly withdrawn as they avoided looking at her.

Catherine cleared her throat awkwardly as she caught herself gaping. "I-er- no, I'm fine." she finally spluttered out, her cheeks burning. "Thanks." She turned round slowly in the couch, praying the giant would just leave. The pressure of a heavy weight settling beside her on the couch, dashed the hope quickly. She cursed brutally in her head.

"Miss Catherine?"

Catherine kept her eyes on her knees, fingers playing stiffly with the sheet over her joints.

The warrior tried again, his voice surprisingly soft for the steely look she remembered in his eye earlier. "Miss Catherine?" She cut him some slack and jerked her head slightly in his direction, though her eyes stayed firmly angled downwards. It was enough though: "I... I apologise for the way I acted earlier. I did not mean to upset you or to cause you offence. I simply have things on my mind... things you remind me of. It was wrong of me to take it out on you."

The minute the last word left his lips, Catherine darted her gaze up, instantly captured by his dazzling bright blue eyes. She had _so_ not expected that!

Her mouth opened soundlessly, wanting to say it was okay and such (even though it wasn't), but words failed her.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I'm very sorry." He emphasised again, his brilliant gaze holding hers effortlessly, driving every comprehendible thought from her head.

Catherine clamped a hand over her mouth before she could embarrass herself, and tore her gaze downward, eyes wide and shocked. He'd apologised... what sort of _man_ apologised? It was an alien concept! Yet here he was - not even a mere man, a hulking Goliath! - and he was practically begging her to forgive him!

"What were you saying a moment ago?" he cleared his throat awkwardly, drawing away.

The tension seemed to float away with him as his back pressed against the couch, and Catherine pulled her knees even closer, till her lips were pressed lightly against her kneecap. She smirked as she remembered her chant.

"They're taking the hobbits to Isengard." she repeated slowly, feeling her cheeks flush. "Another line from Lord of the Rings. Only this one was made into a song."

"You like that story?"

"It's my favourite." she repeated from earlier.

"Where is this Isengard? Is it a place on Earth?"

Catherine's smirk deepened. "No, it's made up. Nothing in Lord of the Rings is real."

_Fancy someone not knowing what Lord of the Rings was!,_ she thought in her head, finding that almost as amusing as imagining if the story _was _somewhat real! Hobbits and elves, the Shire and Minis Tirith, battles and - she grimaced - Gollum. Maybe it was better the story stayed fiction after all...

"Is this tale a book? I could try and find it for you."

Again, Catherine's utter surprise controlled her actions and her head jerked the warrior's way before she could stop it. The sincerity in his eyes melted any suspicion in hers.

Well, almost any. "What's it to you?"

The moment the words unwillingly left Catherine's lips she clamped her hand over her mouth and screwed her eyes shut, turning away from the warrior with a jolt. The swearing erupted in her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that!" she covered quickly, not daring to glance back at his reaction. She may not be all that fond of this guy yet, but like it or not, he was the only person she knew here. What would she do without him? Driving him away was no a good idea.

She almost passed out with relief as the light chuckle hit her ears. "I wish to make your stay here as pleasant as possible in whatever ways I can. After all, neither of us would rather be _here_."

Alarm bells rang in Catherine's head. "I thought this was your home?"

"It is..." she sensed the other half of the sentence forming bitterly in his mouth and tensed as she waited for it: "But there is someone back on Earth who is waiting for me. I made her a promise."

Suddenly the bells in Catherine's mind clattered in a new way as the imaginary light bulbs shone. That explained the 'things on his mind that she reminded him of': he'd left someone behind on Earth and now they were stranded apart. And that someone was a _she_. Catherine groaned quietly into her lap. _Great_, she thought glumly, _I'm reminding him of his girlfriend. No wonder he hates me..._

Maybe the groan wasn't as quit as she thought: "Are you alright, Miss Catherine?"

Alarmed, Catherine jerked her head up and nodded frantically. "Yeah, I'm... I'm just fine." she eventually sighed.

"Did you eat the food I brought you?"

Catherine stiffened as she remembered the abandoned plate of untouched food still on the bed where she'd left them. Her eyes flickered to the giant guiltily and she gulped. "Erm... no."

She watched his face carefully, ready for his mood to flip like a coin the way it had earlier when they'd negotiated her eating. Her arms tightened round her legs bracingly. She half held her breath - but it flowed from her lungs with a relieved smile when a grin spread over his face. He almost seemed to glitter in the sunlight: his blonde hair shimmered in the sun, his bright blue eyes like stars as his face relaxed. _That girl back on Earth sure is lucky_, Catherine thought.

Her head ducked down shyly as the warrior rose and crossed her to disappear through the doors to her room, remerging seconds later with the platter of food in one hand and the water in the other.

She eyed the water greedily as he sat down again, laying the food on his lap. Grinning, he held the mug obligingly up to her mouth and she gulped.

"One bite." he reasoned, setting the mug down on the floor and tearing off a small piece of bread, holding it up. "One question. Sound fair?"

Catherine gulped the last of the water in her mouth down her dry throat and nodded wordlessly.

"Good."

Reluctantly, Catherine took the bread - warm from the warrior fingers - and slipped it in her mouth. It dissolved on her tongue sweetly. She knew what question she wanted to ask first, chewing fast, impatiently. She swallowed hastily, bringing tears to her eyes in the process, but refusing to let that deter her as her eyes glued with his curiously: "What's your name?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Thor ... his name was Thor_...Thor, God of Thunder, as he'd so informed her.

Catherine couldn't help but stare at him after that, as if analysing just how aptly the name fit him in reality. It was perfect; so burly and manly, it fit in with those jaw dropping muscles and armour gloriously. Her eyes strayed down as she thought it, drawn to Thor's strong hands and glorious biceps, imagining what godly array of abs lay beneath the body plates of his armour-

"Catherine." His bright, focused crystal orbs snatched hers up from his body, and she glimpsed the food in his hand as it rose. "Remember our deal."

Their deal. One question, one bite. Oh God, she wondered what on earth had left her mouth as she'd been checking him out. After knowing his nam, he didn't seem so intimidating anymore. I mean, he was still capable of terryfying her... but why? He wouldn't hurt her - he was taking care of her. The light in his eyes and the curve in his lips were too soft to do anything but send comforting warmth through her.

She opened her mouth obediently and she let Thor pop the bite of bread into her mouth. "What did I just ask?"

Thor chuckled as his eyes lowered. "It wasn't a question as such. I took advantage of your distraction." His eyes glittered guiltily, but matched with his amused smile, all it did was set Catherine's nerves on fire.

"What did I say?" She had to know. No matter how shameful it must be, she had to know.

Thor's grin turned into an arrogant smirk. "I think I may choose keep that information to myself. Open."

Catherine's jaw opened instinctively at his command, but only realised he'd tricked her again after he'd popped the food in her mouth. She swallowed it with a grumbled pout. "Question." She said through her chewing. "_What did I say_?"

She didn't trust his grin, the mischevious light in his eyes. Dread pooled in her belly and she was sure it was something soul destroyingly embarrassing that had left her lips, but all the same, she had to know. How bad could it really be?, she asked herself. She made a mental note to keep her lips firmly pressed together, refusing the food, until he answered her.

Thor's grin stretched again, hesitating. "You..." he ran a hand over his chin and Catherine swore there was a hurt glint flash through his amused orbs. Her heart dropped a notch. "You said 'She's lucky.'"

Oh great, Catherine's shoulders slumped. So that as hurt she'd glimpsed - still glimpsed as he lifted him bright orbs to hers, obviously guarding something fragile behind that smile of his. She'd reminded him of his distant girlfriend _again! _Catherine dropped her eyes guiltily. "Oh... I'm sorry." Her voice was soft and apologetic, while in her mind she was frantically cursing herself - _idiot!_

"It's alright." Thor said softly, hooking a gentle finger under her chin and guiding her eyes upright to him. "It's no crime to speak about Jane." A distant smile flickered over his lips. "It might be better if you did. The rest of the palace treats her as a taboo."

Catherine tried to summon a weak smile, but failed miserably. Jane... Thor and Jane; they even sounded perfect for each other. "What's she like?"

She offered no resistance as Thor fed her another mouthful for her question.

"Not like you." He said, his smile soft and eyes to the side thoughtfully. Catherine could see the sadness behind it. "She had dark hair and dark eyes. She is more slender than you-"

The sympathy snapped out of Catherine's eyes in a heartbeat. "Whao." She cut off, mouth thinning warningly. Thor's eyes jerked back to hers, alert._ He'd said more slender, hadn't he?, _he thought in her head. _Yes, he had._ She didn't like the sound of that. "More slender. Are you calling me fat?"

She watched his eyes flash with alarm, and her heart settled begrudgingly. Her hand shoved away Thor's bread holding fingers. "That doesn't count as a question." she clarrified grumpily. Her arms folded tightly over her chest.

The colour dropped from Thor's face a touch as he noted the dark hostility in Catherine's orbs. "I didn't mean to offend you, I merely said-"

"Merely said that she was more slender, implying that I am less slender and ergo bending towards the assumption that I carry more weight." Her head cocked to the side. "Is that what you were going to say?"

Catherine had always been secure about her figure. I mean, she knew she was no size zero, but she couldn't exactly pinch an inch on her waist. She wasn't overweight. She knew she was slightly curvier than most girls with round hips and her strong thighs, but her waist was narrow, her stomach flat, she didn't have any jiggly bits... and yet Thor somehow made her feel so insecure about herself that she felt as big as a size 18!

Then the god said the worst thing imaginable: "But it's true." He protested, eyes clearly betraying his panic at what she confronted him with. _Aw, poor guy_, she thought in her head_. He's one of those who thinks honesty is always the answer_. Not now it wasn't. "Jane has a more slim figure than yourself, but I did not mean to say your figure is any less pleasing to a man."

His words sank into his own head a fraction of a second too late, and Catherine resisted the urge to face palm as the horror of what he'd just said sunk into his eyes.

"I did not mean to say-"

"Forget it!" Catherine cut off, showing him her palm, her cheeks flushing. Pleasing to a man... well, that was one was of putting it. A shamefully embarrassing way. It seemed she wasn't the only one checking out the other party.

A heavy sigh left the god and Catherine let her hand drop, skull pounding with the blood in her ears. She shifted her legs from being crossed to lifting her knees up, slimming down her thighs in illusion self consciously. Her brain fuzzed with incoherent, frantic thoughts, 'pleasing to a man' echoing tauntingly in her head.

She didn't notice Thor's hand lift the food, until his voice brought her back. "Here."

She blinked at the bread held in front of her mouth, noting the way Thor's eyes were lowered shamed to the plate. He should be embarrassed, she thought brutally.

Her hand closed around the bread and plied it from his fingers. She threw it off the edge of the balcony without a second thought. Thor's shyness blinked out of his orbs as he followed it,his mouth ghosting open. A defiant blaze was back as he turned his gaze to her. "What are you doing?"

Catherine pressed her lips together stubbornly, and crossed her arms again, turning to face the city beyond the balcony instead of the irritated god. "You expect me to want to eat after you call me fat. No way."

She could sense his rolling eyes, even if she couldn't see it. No doubt he's going to say that Jane was never this touchy, Catherine thought bitterly in her head.

She couldn't believe it: she was getting jealous of a woman she didn't know over a man she'd known for barely a day! Smart. Reasonable. She was grimacing more at her uncharacteristic immaturity rather than Thor's aggrivated groan and the way he dropped the plate to the floor with a load clatter.

"Fine." he huffed, and Catherine felt the couch significantly rise as he stood up beside her. "If you want to starve to death, then be my guest."

_I won't starve_, she retorted in her head. Her eyes dropped to the food on the floor guiltily though - she really ought to eat it. Not in a greedy way. Serious. As much as she hated to admit it, as he strode out the door from the balcony, Thor was right. And Catherine had a problem with eating. Even the doctor had said she didn't eat enough. Apparently, the food that filled up Catherine every day - healthy and wholesome as it was - was only a third of what she should be eating.

If she didn't eat this breakfast - breakfast that had managed to last past midday already - she would have gone without a proper meal for days. That was extreme even by her standards.

But she envisioned eating, and it just made her stomach queasy. No.

XXX

Her legs were stronger - mercifully! - and Catherine venture down the empty corridors with slow progress. Walking felt good. Very good.

Her hand hovered by the wall, waiting anxiously for the moment her knees would fail beneath her and she'd crash down to the floor in an ungraceful heap. Her eyes kept looking over her shoulder, anxiously anticipating the moment the God of Thunder would come chasing after her, dragging her back to her room with a scowl. For now, she was unpursued.

She was sure that just anyone that saw her would more than likely drag her back - she was hardly looking normal. Still dressed in the skimpy nightgown, taking seemingly unnecessarily cautious steps, she padded forward barefoot over the marble floor, just looking for... well, something different to the inside of her room and the Thunder God that had kept her there. Until she'd pissed him off. Again.

She sighed heavily - he wouldn't like her for much longer if she kept angering him like this.

Her knees started to ache, her stomach muscles trembling from holding in her belly so tightly during her walk. Thor's blunder had hit her more tenderly than she'd care to admit.

Her eyes found a door and she wondered towards it, needing to find somewhere to rest. She didn't want to sit n the corridor, where anyone could see her weakness. No way. Her hands pushed the door open, and she found her jaw falling open.

The smile started to prick at the corners of her lips; the piano sat in the middle of the small room, in pristine condition, with an inviting stool in front of it's keys. Catherine wondered forward dreamily. _Wow..._ she had a weakness for pianos. Her mother had taught her to play and sing ever since Catherine had developed fine motor skills and the ability to talk, the two becoming her most favourite things to do. Playing, singing... it set her heart free, unleashing the joy the pain - whatever she felt! The tune of the piano gave it wings, made Catherine feel proud and free as the music she created engulfed her.

The harps in the background went unnoticed as Catherine wondered round to the front of the piano, fingers running lovingly over the keys. She could tell by the collection of dust on her fingertips that the instrument had never been played.

_Such a waste_, Catherine thought, admiring the fine works of the instrument.

She slumped down on the stool and stared at the lovely ivory keys, just imagining what glorious sound they could bring about. Her heart thudded with excitement.

What did she feel?, she asked herself. Music without feeling was dead and lifeless. She needed to feel something behind it. She searched her soul for her answer, and it was obvious immediately; alone, longing for home, sad, regretful... but still not resigned to give up.

The defiant determination swelled in her heart, and her fingers lifted of their own accord. She stopped herself just in time.

Her teeth bit down on her lips guiltily - this was someone's piano! And she was just going to play it without even knowing who it belonged to, let alone asking their permission. The rudeness crashed through her system with shame... but only added to the emotion she needed to let out. Her fingers inched closer to the keys.

It was unused. Whoever it belonged to obviously didn't care for it, to leave it so abandoned here. It should be a crime not have such a fine instrument played!

Catherine's lips were parted in wonder by the time her fingertip touched down on the keys, and a wondrous, pure sound filled the room. She felt something inside her light up and glow with happiness. She played on. Her fingers moved of their own accord, just revelling in the sounds that so reminded her of home as she played. She felt better already.

She could feel her voice rising in her throat and knew her body wanted to sing with the music. But sing what? Then Catherine noticed the tune she'd been unconsciously playing and smiled: _of course, how fitting._

Her fingers danced over the keys with more assurance as they settled with the tune, her heart swelling. Her voice rose with the notes as she sung the soft words of the song, both filling her with happiness and tugging her with sadness at the same time:

_"I'm coming home again, home to you._

_While the waves carry my dreams on through the night._

_The sea is dark and cold and goes on forever,_

_But the moon and the stars and the sun will show me the way._

_I'm coming home again."_

She could just imagine it; the glorious waters and field and winds of Asgard flying her hearts longing over the world. Not her world. Her eyes fluttered shut as her heart twanged and her voice dropped, fingertips carressing the keys:

_"The pain and the hurt and the tears,_

_The longing I've felt through the years,_

_The road I have travelled so blindly before,_

_Is now leading back to your door."_

_Mum.._.the image of her mother crashed into Catherine's mind and she fought the urge to cry, dreaming of her home, of her family... she had to get back one day. There was no way she'd be stuck here forever. The hope clung in her heart, growing in her breast until it physically hurt.

Then the dread crept in with a pained twang - what if she _was_ stuck? The traitorious tears broke their barriors silently as the overwhelming possibility consumed her. She'd never see her mother again, her father, her friends her home... all lost.

_It couldn't be..._ her voice rose with the despair as if the purer and more sure she sang, the more true her conviction would become. The hope clashed with the dread, fuelled with the determination that she would not be alone like this forever. Her glorious soprano tone echoed around her, encasing her in a comforting bubble of her own hopeful heart, music massaging the dream into her soul:

_"I'm coming home again, home to you,_

_And the mountains and valleys and rivers that whisper your name._

_I'll find that place again, where I won't be lonely,_

_And the moon and stars and the sun will show me the way."_

Her eyes blinked furiously to clear the unnecessary tears and she felt angry at herself for getting so emotional. Her tone settled, still powerful, but softer as if breathing the words to her loved ones themselves:

_"I'm coming home again..."_

Her fingers fell away from the piano, her body feeling dead and heavy. Did she really feel better after that? Honestly, she wasn't sure. Her heart thudded with a new found anxiety, her cheeks wet, missing her family. God, she just wanted a hug. Was that too much to ask for?

Her hands covered her teary eyes as her breaths spiralled out of control and she surrendered to her quiet, dignified sobs, teras leaking through her fingers as they spilled freely.

"You play beautifully."

Catherine gasped as she jerked upright, eyes startled as they shot to the doorway, still running with fresh tears. She must looked a state, she thought.

The worry was quickly banished at the sight of Thor in the open doorway. His shoulder leant heavily on the doorframe, every part of him relaxed as if they hadn't just snapped at each other mere hours ago. For a second, her heart clenched with worry, but as she saw his orbs filled with an empathetic sadness rather than their earlier anger, Catherine's shoulders just slumped. She wasn't sure she'd rather him be angry than sympathetic. Pity was so degrading. She didn't have the will to be irritated though, too weighed down by anguish to care.

Catherine's mouth hung open, but no words would come to her, still frozen at being caught. Then her lip quivered dangerously.

Thor took a step forward. "I understand." he said, his tone soft enough to break Catherine's heart all over again. His eyes flickered to the piano, a small smile flickering at his lips. "You did not tell me you played."

Catherine choked a laugh through her tears, wiping her eyes angrily on the back of her hand. "You didn't ask." she sniffed, trying to steady her voice. "My mother taught me. She's an opera singer." She gritted her jaw against the thoughts of her mother, refusing to let the weakness peek through. Not in front of him.

His head nodded, and Catherine could only watch as his hand ran along the top of the piano. "You do not like doing as you're told, do you?" He said in that wondrously deep voice of his, his eyes holding a light, teasing sparkle.

He kept on moving forward, oblivious to the way Catherine's heart thudded with every approaching footstep. She only just had the will to shuffle over as Thor perched on the edge of the piano stool, her body feeling numb, but glowing with warmth at having him so near. He didn't help when he stretched his arm around her shoulders, gently easing her to his chest.

Oh, how dare he, Catherine cursed feeling something inside her crack. Here she was; seperated from her home, her family, her only comfort a guy she kept angering and reminding of his distant girlfriend! Where was the up-side to that? It might even be better if she had simply been killed in that lightning strike, she thought glumly.

And then she broke; her hand rose to steady herself on Thor's chest, that simple comforting gesture of his just shattering her strong resolve. The tears ran down the plates of his armour.

"Is it worth telling you to go back to your room?"

Catherine shook her head against his chest. "And if you t-think I'm going to eat just for you to call me fat again, y-ou can bloody think again!" she choked.

The god chuckled, Catherine's head bobbing on his chest. "I wouldn't dare." he mumbled. Catherine watched through her blurred eyes as his hand moved to the piano, his fingers gracing over the keys in a touch she would have deemed too delicate for him to manage! The ghosted over hers... then squeezed reassuringly. "This is mine, you know. It was given to me a long time ago." He chuckled again, and Catherine revelled in the strong rumble of his chest. "Never did learn how to play though."

Catherine hiccuped her giggle, trying to rein in her out of control emotions at last. She was already resenting herself for making such a fool out of herself. How could she bear to look him in the eye after this?

On the plus side... _stick this, Jane_, she thought bitterly in her head, snuggling into Thor's hold some more._ Suck it_. His hand tightened at her waist, surrounding her more firmly in his comforting warmth. Her cheek rested content on the armour of his breast plate, feeling the muscles of his body and arm encase her.

"If it would make your stay any more pleasant, you could have it." The god offered kindly. "Although if you play and sing as wonderfully as that I'm not sure who would be doing whom the favour."

Her sniffles had ceased enough for her chuckle to be clearly recognised, and she could feel Thor glance down at her at the sound. Curse him and his charm, she thought, heart thudding and colour touching her cheeks. It should be illegal for taken guys to be so nice to other girls!

"Keep playing that song." he breathed, his hand squeezing Catherine's tighter. "One day the bridge will be rebuilt, and we will both be able to return. Hope is not lost."

Catherine sighed against his chest, letting her eyes fall shut. The smile ghosted on her lips. So there was still a chance. And that chance meant clinging to her home and family, and staying emotionally clear of the God of Thunder. He'd be with Jane and she could forget any of this ever happened. Catherine's eyes slowly opened again, suddenly very aware of his arm around her, her hand in his.

Emotionally clear would be very hard indeed.


End file.
